Putin reminded to whom Belarus obliged its GDP growth

Belarus received plus 16% GDP only by lowering energy prices due to joining the Custom Union.

This was stated by President Vladimir Putin on July 12 in Yalta during the press-conference with his Ukrainian colleague Viktor Yanukovych after the meeting of Ukrainian-Russian Interstate Commission.

"I want to say to you that it’s not only a bonus, the lowering of energy prices, it is a kind of a common decision in the context of other economical questions. There are other winnings of purely systemic character", quotes Putin the Kremlin press service.

According to Viktor Yanukovych, Kiev and Moscow "were discussing, are discussing, and will continue to discuss” the questions of joining of Ukraine to the Custom Union and United Economic Space, because this “directly connected with national interests".

"We are observing the successes and those integration processes that are occurring, said Yanukovych . – We are observers in the Eurasian Commonwealth, and now we are trying to build mutually benefitial relationships with the Custom Union. We are constantly in the dialogue. Today I’ve made a suggestion to start our economic integration on a sectorial level. I think that it is a good perspective for the integration in this Union. For a start".

Ukrainian Leader expressed the confidence that integration processes, which will be going in the European Union and the Custom Union, "will be only complementing each other: the removal of barriers in foreign trade, in the movement of finances and workforce".

"Any integration always brings only advantages. We welcome our colleagues, our friends and neighbors in that they initiatively offer us to join this integration process. We are really grateful for the invitations, but what is the future, we’ll see in the near time", stated Yanukovych.